Competion at the Latin America Games Tennis Protocol Agreement Signed Aquatics competition at the Polideportivo de Ciudad Merliot. [Unless otherwise noted, all photos courtesy of the official Games Web site] Six hundred Special Olympics athletes traveled to El Salvador to compete from 28 March-2 April in the following sports: aquatics athletics basketball bocce football (soccer) gymnastics (rhythmic) powerlifting tennis Athletics remains the most popular Special Olympics sport worldwide. Note that the tennis competition at the First Special Olympics Latin America Games was Unified tennis. Special Olympics Unified Sports® is an initiative that combines approximately equal numbers of Special Olympics athletes and athletes without intellectual disabilities (called partners) on sports teams for training and competition. Age and ability matching of athletes and partners is defined on a sport-by-sport basis. In tennis, Unified Sports competition takes place in doubles. Basketball competition at the Gimnasio Nacional Adolfo Pineda. The athletes of the First Special Olympics Latin America Games showed an abundance of skills, spirit and smiles. Eighteen countries were represented in capital city of San Salvador, which is the largest city in Central America. Among the visitors to the sports venues were participants in the Youth Summit: Following a how-to seminar on media coverage, teams were on assignment at the sports venues to interview athletes, take photos, and record the stories of these Games. Special Olympics Latin America athletes and spectators enjoyed quality sports facilities that have been used for and already tested with other world-class sports competitions (the XIX Central America and the Caribbean Games in 2002 and, most recently, the X Students Central America Games in 2005): Estadio Jorge González for Athletics and Football (Soccer) Polideportivo de Ciudad Merliot for Tennis, Rhythmic Gymnastics and Aquatics Gimnasio Nacional Adolfo Pineda for Basketball Palacio de los Deportes for Bocce and Powerlifting Bocce, which took place at the Palacio de los Deportes, is a popular sport for all ages. Tennis Protocol Agreement Signed On March 30 at the Latin America Games, Tim Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics, Inc., presided over the signing of a Protocol Agreement among the South American Tennis Confederation (COSAT), the Central America and Caribbean Tennis Federation (COTECC), and Special Olympics Latin America (view photo of the dignitaries taking part in the signing ceremony). The team from Ecuador, shown here warming up, won a silver medal in the soccer (football) competition. Carmen Rosa López, Program Development Director and Christian Guiralt, Sports Development Manager, Special Olympics Latin America, working with the Presidents and staff members of COSAT and COTECC, identified strategies for developing tennis across the Latin America region. The Protocol Agreement specifies commitments toward establishing action items and timelines to expand the Tennis Development Advisory Committee, professionalizing coach training, and promoting competition opportunities at local, national and regional levels. Special Olympics offers artistic gymnastics competition, in addition to the rhythmic version that was featured at the Games. At present, the Tennis Development Advisory Committee for Special Olympics Latin America includes Cecilia Ancalmo from El Salvador, Teresa Leitão from Brazil and Estela Maris from Paraguay. "We Have an Obligation to Serve" It takes far more than athletes for a successful event. The First Special Olympics Latin America Games required more than 120 officials and more than 170 coaches in addition to 2,500 volunteers. A shining example of the latter is Cristian Orantes, 33, the manager of an auto parts business. The Palacio de los Deportes hosted the powerlifting competition. Orantes has been a volunteer with the San Salvador Red Cross for the past 16 years and currently serves as a lifesaving instructor with the organization. Orantes took off time from his business to volunteer full-time at poolside for the duration of the aquatics competition. It wasn't the first time he had done so; Orantes came to these Games with a great deal of previous experience, having volunteered at several times at prior Special Olympics El Salvador competitions and school programs. A strong backhand at the tennis venue. What matters most to him is serving others. “These [Special Olympics] athletes have more difficulties; we have fewer. We have an obligation to serve them, when and where needed.” The law in El Salvador requires that businesses employ at least one person with disabilities for every 10 employees. According to Orantes, many are still not complying. “Business leaders should come to these Games to see the capabilities of persons with intellectual disabilities," he said. "If they did, they would be motivated to hire these people."      < Return to main Latin America Regional Games page > Center Court at the Polideportivo signing of a Protocol Agreement among the South American Tennis Confederation (COSAT), the Central America and Caribbean Tennis Federation, (COTECC) and Special Olympics Latin America: (left to right) Tim Shriver, Special Olympics Inc.; Cecilia Ancalmo, El Salvador; Teresa Leitão, Brazil; Sergio Elias, President of COSAT; Dennis Brueggemann, Special Olympics Latin America; Estela Maris, Paraguay; Carmen Rosa López, Special Olympics Latin America; Miguel Irigoyen, COTECC; Christian Guiralt, Special Olympics Latin America. [Photo courtesy volunteer Games photographer]